Here are the latest rugby evening headlines for Wednesday, August 3.
Regan Grace suffers season-ending injury
Welsh speedster Regan Grace has suffered a season-ending injury, bringing his rugby league career with St Helens to a premature end.
Grace ruptured his Achilles in Sunday's defeat to Salford and is now set to undergo surgery. The healing process will take a number of months, with Grace having signed to cross codes and join Racing 92 next season.
Earlier this year, Grace turned down an offer of a new contract with his club, opting to join the rugby union side instead. He has had an injury-plagued year, though, making just nine appearances for St Helens.
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"It is a devastating blow for him and for us as a team and a club as well," Saints boss Kristian Woolf said. "Regan has come through our academy and has been a big part of our club and team for a long time. He is a really valued player and person who has been a big part of our success over the last couple of years."
He later posted on Twitter: "The highs and lows of sport. I’m truly devastated that my season has come to an immediate end at Saints after rupturing my Achilles on Sunday. I’m gutted I won’t be able to play my part for the team for the rest of the season. I would just like to thank the fans that stuck by me this year through thick and thin. It's been a roller coaster of emotions these last few days but I know this is all part of the journey and I will grow from this. I’m so grateful for the people I have around me and the continued guidance from Saints. Now to work even harder to reach my goals."
Grace has played a key role in St Helens' success in recent year, helping them to three Super League titles and a Challenge Cup. Wales rugby union boss Wayne Pivac has admitted he will be watching Grace's progress in the 15-a-side code with interest.
Wales development team named
The Welsh Rugby Union is piloting a new development programme for the best under-18s male rugby players in Wales along with their Scottish and Italian counterparts. A development squad of 33 has been named for a mini-camp in north Wales before heading to Stirling for a six-day training camp with Scotland and Italy.
The three Unions have planned collaborative training sessions, live scrum, lineouts, and units training, as well as two non-capped adapted matches. It is part of the WRU's push to bridge the gap between the age-grade regional pathways and age-grade international rugby and eventually elite senior rugby.
Wales U18s development summer squad:
Ioan Emanuel (Cardiff Rugby), Max Bignell (Cardiff Rugby), Saul Hurley (Cardiff Rugby), Evan Wood (Cardiff Rugby), Harri Thomas (Scarlets), Alex Uwimana (Dragons), Ethan Say (RGC), Oliver McGinnity (Worcester Warriors/Exiles), Will Evans (Scarlets), Nicholas Thomas (Dragons), Gethin Howell (Cardiff Rugby), Buster Bodkin (Dragons), Kenzie Jenkins (Bristol Bears/Exiles), Jaden Wilkins (Cardiff Rugby), Keanu Evans (Scarlets), Harry Beddall (Cardiff Rugby), Evan Rees (Cardiff Rugby), Celt Francis Roberts (RGC), Ellis Lewis (Ospreys), Max Fergusson (Exeter Chiefs/Exiles), Harri Wilde (Cardiff Rugby), Jack Woods (Scarlets), Steffan Jac Jones (Scarlets), Owen Parry (RGC), Ioan Duggan (Dragons), Steffan Emanuel (Cardiff Rugby), Ethan Rudyj (Cardiff Rugby), Ollie Woodman (Dragons), Aiden Boshoff (Bristol Bears/Exiles), Louis Williams (RGC), Tom Weekley (Cardiff Rugby), Iori Badham (Scarlets), Kodie Stone (Cardiff Rugby).
Hunter inspired by Women's Euros
By Andrew Baldock, PA
England captain Sarah Hunter believes women's rugby has not even "scratched the surface" in terms of how big a sport it can become. Hunter's team are the global pace-setters two months out from an eagerly anticipated World Cup in New Zealand.
They top the world rankings, have won four successive Six Nations titles and are unbeaten for 23 Tests since losing to New Zealand in 2019. Such impressive achievements help underpin England's status as World Cup favourites as they bid to reclaim a trophy they last won eight years ago.
Hunter, a pillar of the women's game who has won 134 caps during a 15-year international career, has been inspired by England's stunning success at Women's Euro 2022 and her excitement for what the future holds is almost tangible, highlighting the Red Roses' move to professional contracts in 2019 as a huge moment.
The Rugby Football Union, meanwhile, recently unveiled plans to invest more than £200million over a 10-year period into the domestic Premier 15s competition, with an ultimate aim of making it a fully professional league.
"I certainly think turning professional in 2019 has helped enormously," Hunter told the PA news agency. "It allows that freshness. We don't have to go back to a full-time profession outside of rugby. Our sole focus is on being a rugby player and managing that.
"On your down-time you can switch off, you can recover and get the right nutrition in, which ultimately allows you to perform better when you get on the field, whether for a game or for training. It allows you to spend more time doing analysis, more time developing as an individual, whatever it might be.
"Being professional allows you to become a better player and have more time with the team and not fit everything into a weekend after going to work for a week, which is what we used to do. That has been such a significant change-up for us, especially since 2019."
Glasgow appoint former Italy boss
By Gavin McCafferty, PA
Glasgow have appointed former Italy head coach Franco Smith as Danny Wilson's successor. Smith will join on a two-year contract from the Italian Rugby Federation, where he has most recently been working as head of high performance.
The former South Africa international lost all 13 of his matches in charge of Italy during 2020 and 2021. Smith was previously head coach of Treviso from 2007 to 2013 and has spent several spells as player, assistant coach and head coach of the Cheetahs in his native country. Wilson was sacked two months ago after Glasgow lost 76-14 against Leinster in the United Rugby Championship quarter-finals.
Smith, who will arrive in Scotland at the end of August, told the Warriors official website: "I have followed Glasgow for a long time, since coaching at Benetton when they joined the PRO12 in 2010, and the way they play has always appealed to me because their style is embraced by the fans.
"In coaching I always have these objectives: to play a winning brand of rugby; to have a style that is good to watch and that the fans can associate with - it is the Warrior Nation's team, and our responsibility through the coaches and players is to represent them.
"There are also opportunities at Glasgow to contribute to the pathway for up-and-coming players, making sure we are developing creative, fit, and knowledgeable rugby players from a young age that we will bring all the way through to Scotland. I am looking forward to joining the club and getting to know the coaching staff and players as we begin working together."
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